Category: Travel
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Autumn get-away in the Black Hills
In late September I packed up my camper and headed to the Black Hills for a few days. As I planned my getaway, I was looking for a scenic spot not too far away and the Black Hills pretty much filled the bill. Climbing Back Elk Peak has been on my To Do list for…
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Autumn Wandering in Minnesota
In late September I mounted my camper on my pickup for my first ramble since last year. While I love the open spaces and big National parks in Colorado, Wyoming and the northwest, they just didn’t appeal to me this time. During the past year or so I have come across some beautiful photos of the…
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Autumn travel – home and away
Recently, I returned home after from spending the better part of two weeks in Wyoming and Colorado. I had been planning this trip for several months. I also had a pass to visit Yosemite National Park, but with so many wildfires in northern California, I changed my plans. Earlier in the fall I had…
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Looking for landmarks
Chimney Rock near Bayard, Nebraska is the signature landmark on the Oregon Trail. The stone column rises nearly 300 feet above the North Platte river valley. The national historical site and visitors center is maintained and operated by History Nebraska. The museum inside the center has been expanded and updated. The exhibits are interesting and…
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In Search of the Oregon Trail
After reading “The Oregon Trail A New American Journey” I knew where my next road trip would take me. The book is the story of the author Rinker Buck’s, “crazy ass passion” to make the first unassisted covered wagon crossing of the Oregon Trail in over 100 years. I was totally captivated by the personalities…
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Preparation Canyon
Preparation Canyon State Park in Iowa’s Loess Hills is remote, heavily wooded and particularly beautiful in September and October.
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Ready to wander
The plastic tiara I am wearing in a photo taken by my daughter announces that I am, “Officially Retired.” And I am. -Well sort of. The tiara was a gag gift from my kids when they unexpectedly showed up at my house to give me a surprise retirement party. For more than seventeen years I…
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Last of a series: Homeward bound
During the last few days of my month-long adventure through the North-west I drove along U.S. Highway 2 which parallels the Canadian Border. My plan was to end my trip as I began by visiting historical forts, battlefields, and other points of interest. After a night off the road at a motel in Haver, Montana…
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Spring time in Glacier National Park
For the past two years I have planned to visit Glacier National Park and each time a severe forest fire dashed those plans. This year I decided to incorporate the trip in my journey to follow the Lewis and Clark Trail. While Lewis and Clark never passed through what is now Glacier National Park, streams…
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Wandering along the Washington coast
Following the Lewis and Clark Trail to the Columbia river and the Pacific Ocean was only one part of my vision in traveling to the Northwest. The other part was to view some of the sights that my wife and I had visited almost 36 years ago when we were first married. On leaving Oregon…
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Ocean in view!
“Ocian in view! O! the joy,” were the words ( and spelling) that Clark penned in his journal on November 7, 1805. He was a bit premature – what he had seen was the Columbia River estuary – not the ocean. Never-the-less he was near the end of his trek to reach the Pacific Ocean. I…
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Northwest Adventure: Following the Lewis and Clark Trail
On May 28, 2019 – The Day after Memorial Day – I departed from my home in Blair, Nebraska on a month- long adventure through the Northwest United States. My goal was to visit significant historical landmarks along the Lewis and Clark Trail and spend time in Olympic and Glacier National Parks. My first stop…
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